#boktech

Le Bok Fin: The Most Haunted Bar in Philly by Robin Markle

You can see a larger version of this poster here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/59228374@N05/21233034610 You can find more of my work at http://www.robinmarkle.com

#‎Lebokfin‬: The Most Haunted Bar in Philly! This piece is an attempt to hold up a mirror to the Le Bok Fin pop-up gastropub on the roof of the old Edward Bok Technical school in South Philly. The school was one of 23 Philly closed in 2013, part of a neoliberal agenda to defund public education and leave low-income and of color students without access to quality education outside of for-profit charter schools. Now a developer has bought the school and its first use is this pop-up gastropub featuring “light French cuisine” and the school's actual classroom chairs set around tables painted with chalkboard paint and garnished with a beaker from Bok's chemistry lab, filled with chalk for patrons to doodle as they dine. The #lebokfin hashtag has over 1600 photos on instagram despite only being open about a month. Browsing these photos, it seems clear that for many patrons the décor of the restaurant and its location are fun and kitschy; they share photos of original parts of the school: the bathrooms, the hallways, trophy cases, etc. The pub closes on Sept 13, but there are other plans for the building that should continue its appeal to a young, well-incomed, largely white clientele (incidentally not the same demographics of the neighborhood or the school's former students, who have been displaced to South Philly High). All of the “upcoming events” in the graphic are based on actual plans for the building, which can be found on the sleek www.buildingbok.com. It would be a shame for the building to remain empty in perpetuity – it is good for it to provide services and space to people. But there are much more thoughtful ways for the building to serve the community than what it being planned. We can do better than gleefully wining and dining on the grave of public education.

More information at: The Hottest Bar in Philly Is on Top of a Shuttered Public School http://www.theawl.com/2015/09/the-hottest-bar-in-philly-is-a-shuttered-public-school Le Bok Fin: The columbusing of community http://aldianews.com/articles/opinion/le-bok-fin-columbusing-community/40343